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Friday, January 09, 2009

Cynsational News & Giveaways

Congratulations to Author Jama Rattigan on 15 Years of Dumpling Soup (Little, Brown)! To celebrate Jama is giving away three signed hardcover copies. Peek: "These are original trade editions from my personal stash (currently, only paperback and library editions are still in print." Enter to win between now and Jan. 31. See more information. Don't miss the story behind the story. Note: Dumpling Soup was illustrated by Lillian Hsu-Flanders.

"Meeting" the Author by Melissa Stewart from I.N.K. Interesting Nonfiction for Kids. Peek: "Seeing someone on screen isn't quite as powerful as a live visit, but videos are a great option for schools that lack the time, resources, or funding to bring in authors and illustrators. They're also a great way for any school to increase their students' exposure to book creators."

Artist's Agents 101 by Kathy Rietz from The Prairie Wind: Newsletter of the SCBWI Illinois Chapter. Peek: "Artist agents know the business and have connections at publishing houses that most illustrators do not." See also Diane Foote Reveals ALSC's Secrets; peek: "All eligible books are considered to be 'under consideration' until the decision is made. The decision is made by a voting process at the Midwinter meeting; if a clear winner is not determined in the first round of voting..." Note: Diane is the executive director of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

The WD Interview: Megan McCafferty by Lauren Mosko from Writer's Digest. Peek: "...if I wrote the book with enough humor and heart and intelligence, it would appeal not only to girls who are still in high school, but also to those who graduated years ago and have a fondness for teen angst."

Congratulations to Jerry Wermund on Soil: More Then Just Dirt (Rockon, 2008). From the promotional copy: "In dry, wet and moderate climates, heat and cold as well as natural acids break down rocks into soil. Water seeps downward altering soil into different layers and structures. Soil is alive. Many visible and microscopic creatures make homes in upper soil layers. Soil sustains life for plants. Nitrogen from the air as well as phosphorous and potassium from rocks enter soil to fertilize the roots of healthy grasslands, forests and crops. Soil scientists recognize twelve orders or types of soil." Note: Jerry is the rare self-publishing success story, because of the quality of his poetry, the cross-curriculum value of his books, his commitment to first-rate production, and his overall professionalism. Read a Cynsations interview with Jerry.

Meet Vicki Palmquist, Co-founder of The Children's Literature Network from Julie Bowe at Kidlit Central News. Peek: "One of the services CLN provides is to provide recommendations and referrals. We are frequently asked by teachers, librarians, booksellers, and the media for information about our members. We participate in preparing reading lists and providing referrals for magazines, newspapers, and websites. Teachers and parents ask for suggestions for authors and illustrators to visit their schools. Media specialists ask for help in preparing specialized reading lists." Learn more about the Children's Literature Network.

J. Jaye Smith: author of Batty About Texas, illustrated by Kathy Coates (Pelican). From the publisher: "Jaye Smith spent her childhood in Slidell, Louisiana, and found her passion in the creative arts while still in high school. She attended Belmont University and graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education in 1993. Smith has worked as a vocalist and a music teacher for most of her life and is also an accomplished songwriter. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her family and spends her free time reading, dancing, and gardening."

Best Advice for Aspiring Writers... from Ally Carter at Ally's Diary. Peek: "Is this cruel, cruel advice? Yes. But believe me I wouldn't be opening myself up for the onslaught of angry comments that might commence if I didn't think it were true."

The Evolution of Identity (for illustrators) from Elizabeth O. Dulemba. Peek: "Coming from a graphic design background (as I did), I used to think the opposite. 'Isn't it good to show you're flexible, that you are capable of many different looks and can help a publisher with different needs?' The answer is no."

Meet Saundra Mitchell! from Sara McLean. Peek: "Screenwriting says if I've spent more than five minutes in a particular scene, I'm boring people. It's easy for me to get in and get out, which I think is hard for some novelists."

Predicting Success by Robin LaFevers from Shrinking Violet Promotions. Peek: "It turns out that creative success is a very elusive beast, and that it often has less to do with quality and more to do with reaching a certain tipping point in terms of generating buzz and getting talked about." Read a Cynsations interview with Robin.

Writing process...writing practice from Helen Hemphill at Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "Practice is about getting better. It's about doing, analyzing, and critiquing. But it's also about reflecting. What am I doing to sabotage my story? How can I write this sentence, this paragraph, this chapter better?" Also features a video interview with Anne Lamont. Read a Cynsations interview with Helen.

Marc Aronson's Unsettled: a podcast from Heidi Estrin at The Book of Life. Mark talks about the advantages of non-fiction, the current and future prospects for non-fiction, as well as passion and process in non-fiction writing. Then he focuses on his latest book, Unsettled (Ginee Seo, 2008). Note: "Marc Aronson is an editor, a publisher, and an author of historical nonfiction for young people. He writes the 'Nonfiction Matters' column in School Library Journal, and also hosts the Nonfiction Matters blog on the SLJ website." Read a Cynsations interview with Marc.

The Book Roast: a free promotional site for authors dedicated to celebrating great books. "Our mission is to help publicize books of all genres, printed by publishers of all sizes (excluding self-published and pornography). We serve up a variety of authors and books lightly grilled and seasoned with humor. The interactive and party spirit on our site helps set us apart." Note: The Book Roast returns from hiatus on Jan. 12. Guests marinating include Barrie Summy (Jan. 15) and Curtis Brown literary agent Nathan Bransford (Jan. 22).

Let the Drawing Begin: a contest for kids from K-6 grades to draw the perfect bookmark, sponsored by BookKids at BookPeople in Austin. Peek: "This year our theme is 'Be Independent.' Then, we print up the top entry in each of four age categories and distribute the bookmarks in the store for the rest of the year. Winners also receive a $25 gift certificate to BookPeople." See details.

What Inspires Your Writing? from Little Willow at Slayground. Peek: "I asked authors to name books they recently read and enjoyed as well as their favorite classic and contemporary authors. 'Tell me whose books you devoured as a kid,' I said, 'or whose novels you collect now as an adult.' I also asked each author whose writing career he or she would most like to emulate." Check out answers from Kelly Parra, Linda Joy Singleton, Jo Knowles, Micol Ostow, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and more!

Boys Reading About Girls by Donna Bowman Bratton at Simply Donna. Peek: "I've spent a great deal of time as a library volunteer and substitute librarian at my son's school. Boys love nonfiction. There's no dispute about that. But, I regularly see boys older than E choosing female-centered books like Judy Moody along with a book about NASCAR." Note: Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008) has a female protagonist (and my Gothics are all arguably feminist), but I do get regular reader male from YA boys. The gender difference in the correspondence is generally related to length and directness. Girls tend to write longer, more personal letters. Boys tend to get right to the point. My favorite: "When is the sequel coming out? What is taking you so long? What are you doing with your time?"

Home Schooling Grows in Popularity by Janice Lloyd of USA Today. Peek: "The number of home-schooled kids hit 1.5 million in 2007, up 74% from when the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics started keeping track in 1999, and up 36% since 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was home-schooled increased from 2.2% in 2003 to 2.9% in 2007." Source: Public Education Network.

The Children's Book Council 2009 Teen Book Awards from Teenreads.com. Peek: "In association with the Children's Book Council (CBC), Teenreads.com is giving you a very special opportunity to let your voices be heard by telling us your five favorite books of 2008. The five titles that receive the most 'votes' will serve as the finalists for the CBC's 2009 Teen Choice Book Award." Note: there's still time to nominate more of 2008's best books. Source: professornana.

See below for a book trailer celebrating Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins (Delacore, 2009), which Publishers Weekly calls, "An intimate and absorbing drama."

Online Classes

Writing Children's Nonfiction Books for the Educational Market from Laura Purdie Salas. Peek: "...you will learn about the educational market and how it differs from the trade market. You will learn how to put together an introductory packet to send to publishers. We'll work on the various components of that packet so that by the end of the month, you have packets ready to pop in the mail." Class runs from Jan. 26 to March 20. See details.

Matchmaking Your Manuscript: from Laura Purdie Salas and Lisa Bullard. Peek: Do you have a children's book manuscript ready to submit? Are you feeling overwhelmed? The children's book universe can appear impenetrable to unpublished writers. This six-week online course will give you the knowledge and confidence to create a submission plan for your manuscript (and your future manuscripts). Laura and Lisa will guide you step-by-step through the submissions process and show you how to improve your chances of publication. Includes a critique of your cover letter or query letter.

More Personally

Amazing, surprising news! I heard this week from my genius editor that Eternal (Candlewick, Feb. 10, 2009) is going into a second printing. A huge thanks to y'all for your continued support!

It also was an honor to see Eternal included in "My Favorites of 2008" from Karin's Book Nook. If you're a fantasy fan, take a look at her great list!

If you want me to see a post related to Eternal, please email me with the link. (I do not do Google Alerts as I've observed that they lead to insanity). Thank you!

I'm off to the Vermont College of Fine Arts winter residency and don't expect to be back in the saddle, work-wise, in Austin until Jan. 26. I will do my best to check email while I'm in Vermont; however, if you could hold off on non-critical messages until I return, that would be helpful.

Business Notes

The giveaway of Masterpiece by Elise Broach, illustrated by Kelly Murphy (Holt, 2008) went to John in Texas! Read a Cynsations interview with Elise. Note: giveaways will resume when I return, beginning with one featuring the ARC for Eternal (Candlewick, Feb. 10, 2009).

Reminder: Submitting a children's/YA book to Cynsations? Please don't write a "pitch" letter (per the instructions on my site) as I can't respond individually to thousands of these a year. Instead, see the submissions guidelines to decide whether your book is a fit. Likewise, please don't send requests to confirm receipt or notes to update me on the progress of your book. Thanks, and good luck!

Austin Area Events (Cyn and Friends)

Writing For The Mass Markets: My Publishing Boot Camp With Jennifer Ziegler at 11 a.m. Jan. 10 at BookPeople, sponsored by Austin SCBWI. "Discover what you can learn from writing for the mass markets. How does it differ from writing trade novels? Can it help or hurt your career? Will it improve your craft? Will it help you make valuable connections? Most importantly, will your literary friends and associates still want to hang out with you? Jennifer Ziegler, an Austin-based author and former English teacher, has been writing teen novels for twelve years – many of them for mass market YA series. One of them, Alias: Recruited (Bantam, 2002), made the New York Times' Bestseller List for children's chapter books. Her trade novels include How Not to be Popular (Delacorte, 20089)(author interview), and Alpha Dog (Delacorte, 2006)(author interview) which was a finalist for the 2007 Teddy Award." Read a Cynsations interview with Jennifer.

Due to a technical difficulty, Cynthia's discussion of Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008), Eternal (Candlewick, 2009), and related forthcoming books on the teen grid of Teen Second at Second Life has been rescheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 24. See more information.

Cynthia will be speaking on "Writing and Illustrating Native American Children's Literature" (with S. D. Nelson) and "Monsters and Magic: Writing Gothic Fantasy Novels for Teenagers" on March 15 at the Tucson Festival of Books.

Novel Secrets: A Novel Retreat in 3 Acts: "Have you always wanted to write a young adult or middle grade novel for children, but have not carved out the time to get it done? Do you have a draft of a novel written, but are looking for ideas and strategies to revise and strengthen it? Would you like the chance to meet with an editor or an agent to pitch your novel and gain critical feedback about this novel in particular and the fiction market, in general? All of this is possible if you attend..." Features authors Elaine Marie Alphin, Darcy Pattison, editor Jill Santopolo, and agent Stephen Barbara. See more information.

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About

New York Times & Publishers Weekly best-selling, award-winning author the Tantalize series, the Feral series and other critically acclaimed fiction for young readers. MFA Faculty, Vermont College of Fine Arts. Board member, We Need Diverse Books. Ohonvyetv!